BUTUAN City – The Philippine Statistics Authority in Caraga Region (PSA-13) has reported the increase in headline inflation in the area to 3.3 percent last month.
In a Wednesday afternoon presentation, PSA-13 Director Guillermo Lipio said last month’s inflation is higher than the 2.6 percent headline inflation in December 2025 and the 1.4 percent recorded in January of the same year.
The high inflation last month was driven by increases in the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose from 0.8 percent in December 2025 to 2.1 percent.
“The commodity group contributed 74.9 percent to the inflation uptrend in the region last January,” Lipio said.
The housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels also contributed to the increase in inflation last month.
The particular commodity group logged 6.6 percent inflation in January from 6.1 percent in December, contributing a total of 10.6 percent in Caraga’s headline inflation in January.
Within the same commodity group, housing rental posted the highest inflation last month, rising 8.5 percent from 8 percent, followed by fuel wood, up 4.7 percent from 3.2 percent, and electricity, up 6 percent from 5.5 percent.
Lipio also reported the major commodity groups that posted lower inflation in the region, including alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which fell from 4.2 percent in December last year to 4 percent in January; transport, from 1.3 percent to 0.6 percent; and information and communication, from 2 percent to 1.3 percent.
Constant inflation was also recorded in education services at 1.4 percent and in financial services at 0.0 percent, the report added.
High inflation was also recorded in all provinces in the region last month, including Agusan del Norte at 4.2 percent from 2.4 percent, Agusan del Sur (2.8 percent from 2.6 percent), Surigao del Norte (3.2 percent from 2.0 percent), Surigao del Sur (1.2 percent from 0.4 percent), and Dinagat Islands (4.3 percent from 3.3 percent). (PNA)
